Through Thick and Thin
by WannaKnownLee
Summary: Complete!! Stan's dreams haunt him and the only person who can help him is Sandy... But he's afraid to even come near her. Is it too late to help poor Stan?
1. Don't Let My Dream Come True

A/N: Hello and welcome to "Through Thick and Thin", my tale of Stan and Sandy's strong bond as siblings! Like the description says, Stan's been having trouble lately, and it's all because of this terrible dream he's been having! Sandy, of course, ends up helping him. But at first, he feels like he can't face even her! Why not? Read and find out! And please, R/R!! ^_^  
  
Chapter 1: Don't Let My Dream Come True  
  
"It's just that...Well, you kinda haven't been actin' like yourself lately. You're sure nothing's wrong?" Hamtaro asked.  
  
"Heh... Chill, dude, it's all good!" Stan said, sweating nervously.  
  
"Okay Stan, just lemme know if something's wrong, though, alright?" Hamtaro said, smiling.  
  
"Yeah...sure." Stan said, breathing heavily.  
  
"Okee dokee then, see you tomorrow, Stan! Bye-q!!" Hamtaro said with a wider smile as he waved his paw fiercely.  
  
"Bye-q! Hehehe!" Stan said, sighing. "Lucky ham you are, Hamtaro." he thought as Hamtaro walked off.  
  
Stan was, in fact, not alright. For the past four days, he hadn't been himself at all. Instead of the confident, cheerful, flirtatious Stan that everyone knew and loved (though some often lacked showing it every time he came near their girls), he was panicky, nervous, and shy. He shrieked every time someone walked up to him and said 'hamha'. He was constantly sweating, mostly when he was around any of the ham-hams except for Hamtaro, Snoozer, Cappy, Penelope, Panda, Oxnard, and Jingle, whenever he would show up. Whenever Pashmina came up to him, he said 'hamha' and walked off somewhere else---FAST. Whenever Bijou came to talk---"Ehh, oh, hamha, Bijou! Uhh, sorry, I, ahh, gotta go!"---ZOOM. Sandy?  
  
That's right. Stan couldn't even face his own sister. Not since he had that terrible dream, anyway.  
  
"Damn you, you horrible nightmare," he thought, "this is all your fault! Because of you, I can't bear to approach anyone. Because of you, my entire lifestyle has completely transformed. I can't think of anything but you. Every time I nibble a sunflower seed, what pops into my head? The dream. Each morning I wake up, what's on my mind? The dream. Before I get what little sleep I am able to fit in each night, what am I thinking about? The dream. Every night, what happens? What do I see? The dream. That stupid dream has been haunting me since the night before I was affected by it. Since then, I've been able to think of nothing but it."  
  
"Each day my fear of the dream coming true grows more and more. I'm trying to avoid them in order to keep my life from becoming like that. After all, if I don't, my very presence in the clubhouse could cause everyone to turn on me... Even Sandy, and she's my own sister. Damn this dre-- no. This isn't a dream. It's not a nightmare either. It's hell's curse upon me for flirting with the girls all my life."  
  
**********Later that night**********  
  
Stan curled up in the corner of his cage. Insomnia had found him once again. He tossed and turned for two hours. Yes, Stan, such a small creature, had been kept up for 120 minutes...all because of the awful dream. And, as expected, he'd come face to face with the dream once again.  
  
~~**~~  
  
The clouds were high in the sky and the thunder softly began to roar, but that didn't stop the ham-hams from coming to the clubhouse. Everyone was still staying outside the clubhouse to play, though. No one knew why, but no one asked either. When Stan got there, he ran first thing right over to Pashmina.  
  
"Hey there, gorgeous. Hows about you and I--"  
  
"Ahem!" two voices said in unison. Stan turned around to see Dexter and Howdy, arms folded, eyes glaring.  
  
"Yeah, you guys want something?"  
  
"You know exactly what we want!" Howdy screamed.  
  
Stan was on the ground. He opened his eyes. Suddenly, Pashmina was gone, along with the other hams, and all the scenery which was there before had turned to black. It wasn't long until he felt pain on his chin and cheek. He rubbed his cheek, then his chin. When he took his paw from his face he saw what looked to be a mixture of blood and dirt on his palm.  
  
"Aww, does yer face hurt? Cuz it's killin' me! Haah hahahahaha!" Howdy bellowed. Suddenly Dexter and Howdy looked much closer and bigger than before. Dexter picked Stan up, only to slap him as Howdy had done before. He was back on the ground, but when he opened his eyes, Dexter and Howdy were gone, Pashmina was behind him again and the ham-hams were back--along with the scenery.  
  
"Man, what was with them?" Stan said, turning to Pashmina.  
  
"What was with who, Stan?" Pashmina asked.  
  
"Those two! They must have seen me and you together." Stan said.  
  
"Stan, what are you talking about? What 'two'?" she answered.  
  
"Um..." Stan looked around. Dexter and Howdy were nowhere to be seen.  
  
"If you mean Dexter and Howdy, they're not even here yet." Pashmina said.  
  
"Ookwee!" Penelope added.  
  
"Uh...right. I'll talk to you later, Pashmina, doll." he said.  
  
"Okay, bye Stan!" she said.  
  
"Bye! Heh," he began, "I get the feeling it's not safe to be around you anymore." he muttered quietly.  
  
Stan decided to try for Bijou. She didn't have quite as many boys after her as Pashmina did.  
  
"Good morning, beautiful! How is the petit ham-ham sweetie doin' today?" Stan said.  
  
"Oh, Stan!" Bijou said.  
  
"My, my, Bijou, your graceful white coat's shine seems to break through the dim, grey clouds!" Stan said. Bijou giggled as Stan took her paw and kissed it.  
  
"Ahem!" a deep voice echoed.  
  
Stan turned around to see a furious Boss, with a throbbing temple and a face wrinkled by eyebrows pushing down upon it.  
  
"Oh, not again..." Stan thought.  
  
Boss's fist raged towards Stan's face. Stan shut his eyes tightly and dodged it. When he opened his eyes after feeling no pain, he grinned.  
  
"Ha! Missed me!"  
  
Stan wasn't smiling for a split second after that, for little did he know that another one of Boss's vigorous fists was already on it's way to it's target before Stan had begun speaking.  
  
This time, Stan didn't have to wipe the blood off his face. It dripped right onto his leg. When he looked up from the spilled blood, he saw Boss's fist coming towards him again and quickly dodged it. Then he opened his eyes and, sure enough, everything was back to normal again. No blood and no Boss. Stan turned to Bijou and saw that he was still holding her paw out from after when he had kissed it. He immediately let it go.  
  
"I'm sorry, Bijou!" he yelled.  
  
Bijou tilted her head and frowned. "Sorry for what?" she asked.  
  
"Uh... Nevermind." he said. He walked off without even saying goodbye, leaving Bijou in utter confusion.  
  
"Hmph. How rude." she thought.  
  
"Jeez... I better talk to Sandy about this." Stan thought.  
  
He rushed over to Sandy, who was apparently waiting for Maxwell.  
  
"Hey Stan!" she said.  
  
"Yo, sis, I need to talk to you. See, I was--"  
  
"Ahem!" a familiar, high-pitched voice said.  
  
"Oh no," Stan thought as he swallowed hard and turned around to see Maxwell, angrier than he had ever seen him before.  
  
"Stay away from my girl, you uncultured swine!" Maxwell shouted. He raised his book high as he could and threw it hard right at Stan's noggin.  
  
Before the book hit him, Stan somehow managed to yell "But she's my sister!" with tears gushing out.  
  
~~**~~  
  
Stan opened his eyes and gasped. He felt his fur was riddled with sweat, so he sat up and shook it all out.  
  
"Kushi-kush... If I can't talk to Sandy about this, who CAN I talk to?" he wondered.  
  
As Stan slowly took his time on his way to the clubhouse--you could understand why he wasn't in a hurry--he didn't know what to do. He couldn't try talking to Sandy, or anyone else for that matter. What if it turned out that he was just dreaming again? Or what if the repetitive occuring of the dream was to warn him not to ask anyone about it? The only solution Stan could come up with was to continue avoiding everyone. At least he'd be safe.  
  
That day at the clubhouse, he sat alone in solitude again, pondering the dream. Then, someone came up to him... 


	2. Don't Hurt Me!

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I have an announcement! As of now, this fic is officially decided to be a four-chapter story. I know I said two or three before, but now I've finished writing it, and it is four chapters. Just thought I'd let you guys know.  
  
AeroShamu: Yeah, this is Hamtaro! What other shows have Stan and Sandy and Hamtaro and Dexter and Howdy and Maxwell? *sighs* Sorry...heh... got a bit carried away. Hope you keep reading though.  
  
devilman2288: Um...that's great and all, but I just wanna know if you like the story or not. Also, one year and 7-8 months ago, Hamtaro wasn't even in America. It came out here in June 2002.   
  
Light Sneasel: Yeah, Stan's acting a little paranoid and out-of-shape. The ham-hams aren't really mean like they were in his dream.  
  
Katy-Chan: Heh, glad ya like it. ^_^ For some reason, when I was reading your "Twirling, Whirling" fic, this idea somehow just kinda...popped up.  
  
Haily-Comet: Yeah, I'm sure we're all feeling pretty bad for Stan right about now. The only bit of romance in here is a tiny bit of H+B. Pashmina IS kinda concerned for Stan, but just as a friend, not as a lover. So relax, it's not an S+P.  
  
infamous: Heh... Hot joint, huh? Never heard that one before. lol. Glad you like it.  
  
PeachyKeen: Wow, heh, sorry I made ya cry. lol.  
  
Aight, folks, here's chapter 2!  
  
Chapter 2: Don't hurt me!!  
  
"Ookwee!" Penelope said.  
  
"Oh, sorry, Penelope, I can't play right now." Pashmina said.  
  
Penelope frowned and sighed. Pashmina couldn't play with her? That was unusual. She walked away from Pashmina and towards Sandy and Maxwell. They were reading a book together, as they usually did.  
  
"Ookwee! Ookwee!" Penelope squealed happily.  
  
"Oh, hello Penelope." Maxwell said.  
  
"Ookwee!"  
  
"Hey, girl! I'm, like, totally sorry, Penelope, but this isn't really the kind of book for little hams like you to read. Maybe when you're a bit older, okay?" Sandy said.  
  
"Ookwee..." Penelope sighed.  
  
"Sorry, Penelope! Like, I'll catch you later, okay?" Sandy called out.  
  
Penelope continued walking. She looked around until Bijou, who was blushing beside Hamtaro, caught her eye.  
  
"Ookwee!"  
  
"Oh, goodness! Hello, Penelope, how are you?" Bijou said.  
  
"Hamha, Penelope!" Hamtaro said.  
  
Bijou bent over to Penelope and whispered in her ear, "Penelope, I am sorry, but I never get to spend much time alone with Hamtaro anymore, so this is very important to me. Can I play with you later?"  
  
Penelope sweatdropped. "Ookwee..."  
  
"Merci beacoup, Penelope! I knew you would understand." Bijou said as she looked at Hamtaro and blushed.  
  
"Heke?"  
  
Penelope stood alone in the middle of the clubhouse. None of the girls wanted to play, and everyone else looked busy. Pashmina and Cappy were helping Panda build a chair. Sandy and Maxwell were reading. Bijou and Hamtaro were, well, "bonding". Boss was keeping a close eye on them. Oxnard was chowing down next to Snoozer, Jingle hadn't been there all day, Dexter and Howdy were arguing again, and Stan--  
  
Aha! Stan wasn't doing anything! She decided to go over to him.  
  
Stan was sitting there, trembling and sweating. He couldn't stop thinking about that terrible dream.  
  
"What if," he thought, "any moment, Boss came up to me and... or Howdy? Or Dexter? Or even...Maxwell?" his bones chattered as he shook even harder. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, Stan heard a shrill, blood-curdling sound (or at least it was to him)...  
  
"Ookwee! Ookwee!" Penelope cried, jumping up and down.  
  
"Aahh!" Stan cried. He started breathing like mad.  
  
"Ookwee?" Penelope said, tilting her head.  
  
"Heh! S-sorry, Penelope!" he said, falsely grinning, with his paw on the back of his neck. Now he was sweating more than before. Penelope even saw a couple drops fall from his whiskers onto the clubhouse floor. Then Stan stood up, shaking even harder.  
  
"He-hey, look Penelope, I gotta--" Stan stopped himself. He saw the sad look on Penelope's face. She looked almost like she was ready to cry.  
  
"What am I doing?" Stan thought, "I can't let this stupid dream control my entire life... Look at her. She's practically a baby, and I've let this awful dream conquer me and make me fear even her."  
  
"That's it! I've got to get control over myself again! I'm gonna go talk to Sandy about this right now, and NOBODY, not even Penelope, is gonna stop me!" he said. He stood straight up and took one step forward, then froze when he saw who was sitting next to Sandy.  
  
"Eh... Okay. Maybe I'll just pay her a visit in her cage tonight! Heh, like when Maxwell's not around..." he said, plopping right back down in his spot.  
  
"Ookwee?" Penelope said.  
  
Soon enough, Stan had another visitor.  
  
"Yikes!! Err, I mean, uh, Pashmina! Heh, how...nice to see you!"  
  
"Hi Stan. I was wondering, are you okay? Because you've been a bit jumpy for the last few days and--"  
  
Pashmina's words faded. Stan was sweating more and more now. He tried to stifle his heavy breathing, but it felt as if it came naturally. He could feel the fear pulsing through his veins as his heart pumped it through faster and faster. Every beat seemed to echo the sound he had heard whenever Boss, Maxwell, Dexter, or Howdy had pummeled him in his dream.  
  
"Uh...Stan? Hello?" Pashmina said, waving a paw in Stan's face.  
  
"Ahh!" Stan said. He swallowed hard and ran over to the door of the clubhouse. Not a single head in the room went without turning in Stan's direction.  
  
"I'm sorry, ham-hams, but I really need to go home now! I won't bother you anymore, so bye!" he said. Pain crept upon each of the hams' ears when they heard Stan slam the door as loud as he could.  
  
"Ookwee?" Penelope said.  
  
"Oh dear, what happened?" Bijou said.  
  
"I don't know, but it sure didn't sound good!" Hamtaro said.  
  
"Stan must be in trouble!" Boss said.  
  
"What're we gonna do?" Howdy said.  
  
"Ham-hams, stay put! I'll go after him!" Pashmina yelled.  
  
"No, Pashy, like, wait!" Sandy said, lightly tugging Pashmina's shoulder.  
  
"I knew something was wrong. Stan's been acting, like, totally whack all this week! I think I should be the one who talks to him, okay?" Sandy said.  
  
"Okay, Sandy... If you're sure." Pashmina said.  
  
"Sandy, I think all of us ham-hams wanna help Stan! Shouldn't this be something we all do?" Hamtaro asked.  
  
"Look, Hamtaro, I know how we're all totally worried about Stan's outburst. But he's, like, my brother, and I really think it's something that he needs to talk to me about." Sandy said.  
  
"But I wanna help!" Hamtaro cried.  
  
"Oh, Hamtaro..." Bijou said.  
  
"Hamtaro, when it comes to problems like this, the fact is that family just plain knows best." Boss said.  
  
"I don't understand, though!" Hamtaro said.  
  
"Just trust Sandy, alright? That's about all else I can say." Boss continued.  
  
Hamtaro sighed. He wanted so much to help Stan, but accepted that letting Sandy do it was the best choice. 


	3. Maxwell and Sandy Visit

A/N: Wahh! Gomen nasai!! Sorry, guys, but I only have a few minutes to update, so I don't have time to reply to all of your reviews! I really hope ya like this chappy... See ya later!  
  
Chapter 3: Maxwell and Sandy Visit  
  
Stan couldn't stop panting. From the moment he had returned home, he had plopped down right in the center of his cage, breathing heavily, and hadn't moved from the very spot since. He had been lying there for two long hours, panting the life out of himself. For some reason, after leaving the clubhouse, he felt more afraid than ever. There was no way he was going to Sandy's now.  
  
Little did he know that he didn't even have to...  
  
"Hey, bro, we need to talk!" Sandy called out.  
  
Stan shrieked louder and more terrifyingly than Sandy, his own sister, had ever heard him cry before. She lifted the door to his cage and scampered inside.  
  
"No! N-no, Sandy, go home!" he cried.  
  
"Stan! Like, what's the matter with you? Are you mad at the ham-hams or something?" Sandy said.  
  
"Sandy, please, I just...can't talk to you right now! Just go away, sis!" Stan yelled.  
  
Sandy gasped. What was the matter with Stan? She was only trying to help. "Stan, what is your problem? I'm not gonna, like, hurt you if that's what you're thinking!" she said. She came closer and closer to Stan until she was barely an inch away from him.  
  
"No! No, Sandy, please, listen!" he screamed. Stan was so terrified that his eyes were shut tighter than ever. They opened wide when he stopped screaming and found Sandy's paw on his shoulder.  
  
"I'm listening." she said serenely.  
  
"Ah..." Stan's heart pounded harder and harder inside his chest. "L-look, Sandy, I need you to just--"  
  
"Hey!" Maxwell's voice cried out.  
  
"AHH!! Oh no!" Stan yelled loudly. There was Maxwell, entering the cage with what looked to be a wand in his hand. Stan immediately ran to him and kneeled before him as tears flowed down his cheeks.  
  
"Maxwell, please, I'm so sorry, don't be mad, she's my sister, I'm her brother, it's not like that, I won't do it again, I'm sorry!!" Stan said quickly.  
  
"Uh... Did something happen?" Maxwell said.  
  
"Maxy! Like, what are you doing here?" Sandy said.  
  
"He's coming for me! All my fault! It's just like last night, and the night before that, and before that, and--"  
  
"Stan, what are you talking about? I just came to give Sandy's ribbon-wand back to her. She left it at the clubhouse because she was in such a hurry to see if you were okay!" Maxwell said.  
  
"Oh gosh! Like, silly me, I'm so embarassed!" Sandy said, blushing as Maxwell handed her the wand. "Thanks a bunch, Maxy!" she said, making Maxwell blush.  
  
Stan was left speechless. "That's right, what am I doing?" he thought, "Maxwell wouldn't hurt a fly! Why am I so afraid? Does that dream really have me under control that badly?"  
  
"Well, I guess I should go now. Good luck, Sandy. And sorry I...scared you, Stan." Maxwell said, feeling unsure about what he had just said. Had he, of all people, scared the bejeesus out of Stan?  
  
"Thanks again, Maxy!" Sandy said, waving. "Okay, anyway, what's wrong with you, Stan?"  
  
Stan plopped down in the spot where he was before and began to weep. "I don't know, I just..."  
  
Sandy saw her brother's tears and felt like crying herself. This was the first day in her life when she had ever seen Stan cry, and she was the only one of the ham-hams who had known Stan all her life.  
  
"No, Stan, please don't cry." she said, putting her arms around him. "Come on, whatever it is, you can tell me, okay? That's what a sister's for." Sandy reassured.  
  
"Well, see, for the past few nights..." Stan said, sniffling. 


	4. Sandy's Lullaby

A/N: After my long period of being banned from the internet, I have returned with the final chapter!! ^^  
  
Chapter 4: Sandy's Lullaby  
  
"So all of this is over a dream?" Sandy asked.  
  
"Yeah. I know it sounds stupid, but," Stan stopped to take a deep sniff. "I've been having it over and over again and, so I thought it might mean something..."  
  
"Um... Well, I don't think it, like, means anything, Stan." Sandy said.  
  
"I know it's just a dream. But you don't understand, Sandy, whenever it happens, I don't expect a thing, and then the next thing I know, Dexter or Howdy or Maxwell or Boss are smacking the juice outta me!!" Stan shrieked.  
  
"Stan! Like, calm down, bro!" Sandy said.  
  
"I'm sorry, sis, but it's just that whenever I go to the clubhouse, it starts out the same way as the dream, so I just... get so scared... What does it all mean?" Stan sighed mournfully, laid down, and sobbed. Sandy sat next to him and began to stroke his head.  
  
"Look, Stan, I don't know why you had that dream in the first place, but I'll bet the reason you keep having it over and over again is because you keep on thinking about it and totally panicking." Sandy said. "Why don't you just let yourself relax? I'll bet the dream'll go away then."  
  
"Yeah... But how come I had it at all?" Stan moaned.  
  
"I don't know, Stan. Maybe you're just, like, too big a flirt! But that doesn't mean that any of the ham-hams would hurt you. Dexter is really polite, even though he and Howdy totally bicker with each other constantly. Howdy's, well, not exactly polite, but he's a very nice ham-ham. Boss-man would never hurt you, or any other ham! He does get, like, pretty mad when you or anybody else is flirting with Bijou, but that's just because he likes her a whole lot! And Maxy... I know Max, Stan. He wouldn't hurt anybody, so you don't have to be afraid of him. Besides, if anyone ever does try to hurt you, I'll give 'em a good whipping with my ribbon!" Sandy said, shaking a fist.  
  
"You...mean it?" Stan said, looking up at his sister.  
  
"Yeah. I do." Sandy said, smiling and continuing to stroke her brother's head.  
  
"Sandy, you're the best." Stan said.  
  
"Oh, Stan. How about another nap? You look really tired." Sandy said.  
  
"But what about the dream? What if it comes back?" Stan said, beginning to tremble.  
  
"Just don't think about it." Sandy said.  
  
"Easy for you to say... I just can't! No matter how hard I try, I just can't get it out of my head!"  
  
"Okay, how about I stay here and help you relax?" Sandy said.  
  
"How?" Stan asked.  
  
"Well..." Sandy thought for a minute. Then she felt Stan tremble, as he was still lying next to her. Then she suddenly had a flashback of when she and Stan were young. She remembered it being exactly like this, except SHE had been the one crying and lying down, while Stan was the one sitting up beside her, and then he started singing. Sandy remembered that she was then able to relax. This gave her an idea, so she cleared her throat and began to sing.  
  
Twirling, whirling, round we go  
Twirling high and twirling low  
See the colors skip and flow  
Twirling round we go  
  
Stan heard Sandy's voice and was then able to relax. He was very hungry, for he hadn't eaten all day, but he stayed where he was. This was a wonderful moment for him, which he would treasure for very long, and he wasn't going to let his appetite spoil it for him and Sandy. For the first time in days, Stan's mind was completely free of the dream. He also recalled that memory of him singing to Sandy. More and more memories of their childhood flickered through his head. He remembered all those times where Sandy was in trouble and he was there to help her out. Now it was her turn to be there for him. Sandy's soft voice, as she continued singing, reminded Stan that he and Sandy were siblings and would always be there for one another...Through thick and thin.  
  
That afternoon, Stan had dreamed a dream similar to one that Sandy had once dreamed. He was walking with Sandy and stumbled and fell. Then Sandy reached out her paw to help him up.  
END  
  
please r/r!! ^^ 


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